Earth is a planet born of fire.
For billions of years, volcanoes have helped create the world we know. From the continents to the air we breathe and even life itself, all have their origins in fire. These processes have created extraordinary...

Grab your mask and snorkel and come on an unforgettable adventure! Great Barrier Reef captures the natural beauty of the world’s largest living wonder and introduces us to the visionaries and citizen scientists who are helping us better understand this...

Join an immersive IMAX adventure to experience the life-saving superpowers and extraordinary bravery of some of the world's most amazing dogs. No stranger to superheroes himself, Chris Evans narrates this inspiring true story about remarkable (or is that...

The Fleet's newest exhibition, Pause|Play, is an invitation for the young and the young-at-heart to leave the digital world behind, hit pause on their busy lives and recapture the nostalgia of play. Science has shown that play has a number of cognitive,...

As Tim Gunn is fond of saying, “Make. It. Work!” And that’s the idea behind our Make-It Workshop, a creative and interactive workshop for innovators and other curious minds. We invite you to stop by Studio X (formerly Tinkering Studio) on Saturdays to...

Stay and play—and save!—until 10 p.m. on Friday nights this summer!
Bring the entire family to experience the Fleet at night! Enjoy extended evening hours at the Fleet in celebration of The Art of Summer in Balboa Park. Peruse Pause|Play late into...

Grownups! You get the science center all to yourself (no kids allowed!) to explore exhibits at a savings, enjoy an adult beverage and rock out to music on Saturday nights this summer.
Adult Recess provides your chance to take over the Fleet's...

The first Monday of every month, seniors 65 and better can enjoy the Science Center exhibits, a show in the Heikoff Giant Dome Theater and a lecture on the quietest day of the month for only $10! No coupons or additional discounts are accepted. The Fleet...

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Join us on the first Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. or 8:15 p.m. for a tour of the solar system narrated by the Fleet’s astronomer. Journey through the cosmos with us as we explore a new topic each month.
For optimal viewing, each show is...

Join us on the second weekend of each month to investigate exciting science topics. Sessions will be filled with new challenges, hands-on activities and interaction with local scientists. Throughout the year, we will explore an array of fields including...

Volcanoes: The Fires of Creation. New film! Dodge boulders at the edge of an active volcano in Indonesia, descend to a lava lake in Vanuatu, visit the ghost town of Pompeii and witness the devastating effects of the recent Kilauea eruption in Hawaii. Generously sponsored and presented locally by The Shiley Foundation. (42 mins.) November 9–30: Monday through Friday at noon, 2 p.m. & 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. & 6 p.m. Please note: No 2 p.m. show on November 9–12.

Great Barrier Reef. Dive in and discover Great Barrier Reef! Come on an unforgettable adventure with sea turtles and manta rays, witness the birth of baby seahorses and discover the exotic splendor of fluorescent corals at night. Narrated by Australian actor Eric Bana. (45 mins.) November 1–8: Monday through Friday at noon, 2 p.m. & 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. & 6 p.m. November 9–30: Daily at 1 p.m. & 5 p.m. Please note: No noon show on November 5.

An IMAX Original Film: Pandas. Pandas follows a collaboration between an American biologist, a scientist from inner Mongolia and a very curious female cub named Qian Qian in their journey to protect the species. (42 mins.)Generously sponsored in part by The Hattie Ettinger Conservation Fund and the San Diego Foundation. (42 mins.) November 1–8: Monday through Friday at 1 p.m. & 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. & 5 p.m. November 9–12: 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. November 13–30: Monday through Friday at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. & 3 p.m.Please note: Additional 11 a.m. show on November 6 and November 19–23.

Aircraft Carrier: Guardian of the Seas. Experience being aboard a modern carrier at sea in the new giant-screen film, Aircraft Carrier: Guardian of the Seas. This film is screening in California exclusively at the Fleet Science Center, in the incredible Eugene Heikoff and Marilyn Jacobs Heikoff Giant IMAX®Dome Theater. Aircraft Carrier is an immersive film packed with adrenaline-laced visuals and human stories. Featured in Aircraft Carrier are USS Ronald Reagan, a carrier based in San Diego from 2006 to 2015, now based in Japan, and the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which moved to San Diego in 2015. The film brings audiences not only aboard the carrier, but also inside the Navy's newest submarines and into the cockpit of the Navy's next-generation aircraft, the F-35. Aircraft Carrier pays stirring tribute to the crucial role modern aircraft carriers play in keeping the sea lanes open for commerce and maintaining the freedom of the seas. (42 mins.) Daily at 3 p.m. Please note: November 1–12 only.

Get up close to the wonders of our universe with planetarium shows on the first Wednesday of every month. Our astronomer will take you on a journey through the cosmos and guide you into the depths of space. The rings of Saturn, the ice mountains of Pluto, the red plains of Mars ... our solar system has a wide range of environments, and each world has its own grandeur. We will use the planetarium to explore the beauty of our solar system.

The Fleet Science Center is home to Southern California's only Giant Dome Theater, which reopened in 2012 after extensive renovations as the Eugene Heikoff and Marilyn Jacobs Heikoff Giant Dome Theater. Our theater is extraordinary in many ways.

* It is the world's first IMAX Dome Theater.

* It features the world's first NanoSeamTM Dome screen in an IMAX theater.

* It offers two unique experiences in one space: IMAX films and planetarium shows.

Our Giant Dome Theater has a gigantic, curved screen that wraps the entire theater. This hemispherical screen offers an immersive viewing experience, enhancing the feeling of motion and giving you the sensation that you're in the show.

What is IMAX?

IMAX is the world's largest film format, yielding incredible clarity and spectacular images. IMAX films are projected by special projectors that weigh as much as a small car and enable the incredible film images to be projected with brightness and clarity on the huge Dome screen.

What Are Planetarium Shows?

The Heikoff Giant Dome Theater boasts a state-of-the-art digital SkyScan projection system. The Fleet uses this system to project planetarium shows that allow audiences to journey to the outer reaches of space from the comfort of their theater seats. We show pre-produced planetarium programs (some of which are created by our own stellar in-house team!) as well as The Sky Tonight, which is a monthly live, astronomer-led planetarium show.

Captioning

The Fleet offers two options for hearing-impaired guests: closed-captions and assistive listening devices.

Our closed-captioning system is an enhancement of the Rear Window system. When you purchase your ticket, tell the guest services associate that you would like to use the closed-caption service. The service is complimentary, and it is accessible in the upper-right seating area of the theater.

Assistive listening devices increase the intelligibility of theater presentations by enhancing the narration and dialogue and lowering music and sound effects. Ask for a complimentary headset at the Ticket Counter.

What's Showing?

The Fleet opens several IMAX films and planetarium shows each year. Films and shows screen on the hour. The Sky Tonight is held on the first Wednesday of each month. For the latest show information and to purchase tickets online, visit www.fleetscience.org.

IMAX en Español

Headsets are always available free of charge for audiences to listen to available Spanish soundtracks when films with English soundtracks play in the normal daily schedule.

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About the Fleet Science Center:

The Fleet Science Center connects people of all ages to the possibilities and power of science to create a better future. At the science center, you can explore and investigate more than 100 interactive exhibits that pique your curiosity and become immersed in an IMAX film adventure that shows the wonders of the planet--and beyond--in the Eugene Heikoff and Marilyn Jacobs Heikoff Giant Dome Theater. For young science enthusiasts, the Fleet hosts school field trips, science workshops and educational camps. For adults, we offer events like Fleet Night of Science and community events, such as Two Scientists Walk Into a Bar™. In the community, we also provide free neighborhood science events weekly through 52 Weeks of Science. Teachers are encouraged to join our Teacher Partner Program and take advantage of our professional development opportunities. Additionally, at the Fleet Science Center, visitors will find unique educational toys and games, books, IMAX DVDs and more in the North Star Science Store, and pizzas, sandwiches, salads and healthy treats in our Craveology cafe. Located in Balboa Park, at 1875 El Prado, two blocks south of the San Diego Zoo on Park Blvd., the Fleet is San Diego's science center. Science starts here and opens a world of possibility.For information regarding current admission prices, visit our website at fleetscience.org.

About Balboa Park:

Located near downtown San Diego, Balboa Park is the largest urbancultural park in the United States. First established by the City of San Diego in 1868, it is also one of the oldest city parks in the nation and is the most visited single destination in San Diego. Its 1,200 acres include 17 museums, many gardens and attractions, the San Diego Zoo, miles of hiking trails, and multiple athletic complexes to explore and discover. For more information, visit balboapark.org.